CD Sales Increase For First Time In Nearly 17 Years

With the help of Adele, BTS and Taylor Swift, physical copies of CDs have increased for the first time since 2004.

According to MRC Data, compact disc sales reached 40.59 million units last year, up 1.1% from 40.16 million units in 2020. Adele and Taylor Swift have been huge component to the sales increase. Adele’s latest critically acclaimed album 30 was the best-selling CD in the United States, with a total of 898,000 units sold. Swift took the second and third slots with her recently re-recorded versions of Fearless (263,000 CDs sold) and Red (237,000). Her latest album Evermore had 213,000 units sold, BTS’ Map of the Soul: 7 (210,000) and Be (187,000) and Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour (195,000) are a few others that have helped CD booklets are still alive and well.

Both Adele and Swift also helped increase the sales of vinyl records, with 30 being the best-selling vinyl last year. Swift’s Evermore, which has sold 232,000 on vinyl. It was the biggest vinyl sales record week since 1991. Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon III: The Chosen, Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version), Rodrigo’s Sour and Monsta X’s The Dreaming have all contributed to the huge sale gain.

Adele had teased fans last week that 2022 has exciting things coming their way. The first of which is the release of the visual to her song “Oh My God,” a fan favorite off of 30. The video is set to premiere on January 12 at 9 am PST.